Detroit New Year's Eve Fire Crew Pose In Front Of Burning House

An investigation is taking place after a group of firefighters posed for a photo in front of a burning house on New Year's Eve and posted it to social media.

The Detroit fire crew can be seen smiling in front of the house, with the image shared online by Detroit Fire Incidents Page alongside the caption: "Crews take a moment to get a selfie on New Years!"

It's said that the picture was taken as a way to say goodbye to a colleague who was retiring, but a fire chief for the city has slammed the move.

People commented on the photo, which is said to have been taken of an abandoned house next to another empty one.

Facebook/Detroit Fire Incidents Page

One person wrote: "Happy New Year's DFD, you guys are the best there is."

With another saying: "Another abandon next to another. No exposures... Let it burn."

But another responder, who appeared to have been involved in the photo in some way, commented: "Please remove this photo. The dept is threatening to fire me."

Detroit Fire Commissioner Eric Jones said in a statement: "There are a lot of ways to celebrate a retirement. Taking a photo in front of a building fire is not one of them.

"We will investigate this matter and follow the facts where they lead us. If this photo is verified, discipline will be in order.

"Ninety-nine percent of the men and women who go to a scene like that and know what to do. Behind every fire is a devastated family or property owner."

The group said that they had been threatened for posting the photo, which they later clarified was by their employer. They said they removed it after the backlash.

After deleting the photo, they said in a Facebook post: "In regards to the photo that was removed we would like to clear a few things up. First of us no one at this page took that photo.

"Second we were asked to post it by a fire fighter for the city of Detroit.

"Third the only reason it was removed is we received messages by guys on the job stating that they had been threatened For the photo being posted."

As of last year, there was a reported 22,000 abandoned and empty buildings in Detroit, many used by squatters and awaiting demolition.

Topics: US News

Amelia Ward

Amelia is a journalist at LADbible. After studying journalism at Liverpool John Moores and Salford Uni (don't ask), she went into PR and then the world of music. She spent a few years working on festivals and events before joining LADbible. In her spare time, Amelia likes music and spending good, quality time with her cat, Paul. You can contact Amelia at [email protected].

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